Optical bench



March 15, 1932. M MAGARlAN 1,849,305

OPTICAL BENCH Filed Sept. 27, 1929 IIHIlllll'lnllllllllllluur.l

v iii/$7 0257 Jigs/10k C. Maya/jam i UNITED STATES PATEN'IT- o FicE f '3 mus c]: 0. MAGARIAN, or GHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ilssrenoa mo CENTRAL scmn'rlnrc cou- Patented Mar. 15, 1 932 PANY, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS Application filed September 27, 1929. Serial No. 395,726

lohaving arbitrarily selected accessories set up jparatus may be thereon; p

1 Fig.2 is a transverse line 22.of Fig. 1; Fi 3 is a bottom plan view of the clamping evice shown in Fig. 2;

i Fig. 4 is a bottom planview similar 'to that section takenon the .of Fig. 3 showing a different form of clamping arm;

f Fig. '5 is asection similar to'that'of Fig. 2 of a clamping device arranged for a different type of optical bench.

Optical benches of the type heretofore employed have been found to lack'a certain degree of permanency and rigidity greatly to be desired. Theyhave also been found to be deficient in the unhandy and inconvenient manner in which the accessories are clamped to the bench and the adjustments made. Among other advantages the illustrative apparatus not only possesses great permanency, but it may be easily set up for a given experiment and the adjustments easily and quickly made. V a i The illustrative bench is of the lathe bed type in which the'lathe bed in the form of a channel 10, comprises a pair of rails 11 and 12 represented by the channel flanges. The bed is supported upon adjustable supports 13 and 14, inwhichthe level of the 'apadjustedby hand screws '15.

Associated with the bed and longitudinally slidable'on the rails thereofare carriages 16 of channel form and having a plane railengaging surface 17 on one side and a V- groove surface 18' for engaging the opposite rail, the V-igroove serving to prevent trans 'verse'shifting of the carriage relative to the rails and maintaining alinement of the ac;- cessories jwhen' adjusted on the bench. The carriage is held on the bed in adjusted posiarm 29 in themodified con Fig. 4. a

For temporarily moving a given accessory tion by acla mping device inthe form of an arm '19 pivoted at one endat 20 to the carrail 21 in the interiorof thechannel 10 a jacent the other end. p v

In the present case the clamping effect is "secured by the engagement of the arm upon the under surface of the auxiliary rail 21 extending longitudinally ofand on the in;v

terior of the channel and supportedin spaced relation to the bottom thereof by {the posts 22. The resultant force exerted by the arm againsttherailis perpendicular to the plane 1 of the rails, the arm being-arched as at 23 to provideia suitable surface for engagement with the horizontal'rail surface. .In'the presriage and frictionally engaging an auxiliary for ent case thearm-is constructed and'arranged and its pivotis 'so lo'catedthat when'it is withdrawn fromcontact with the; rail 21 to release the clamping action, it also clears the railso that the carriage may be-easilylifted and removed from the bed. The clamping arm is controlled by a thumb screw 24 and pressed into clamping engagement with the rail thereby. Upon withdrawal of the thumb ence of gravity.

The carriage is screw the arm swings down under the influprovided with means in the experiments cessorles I such as a on the opticalbench. Such acrod 25, which may be inserted into the pedestal a d clamped atany desired 616; v 'Vafion y p g screw 26; i

In the preferred embodimentfof this'invenare usually mountedfupon a rod,

form of an axially bored pedestal24O for sup *porting accessories used in connection with :30

tion. the clamping arm 19 is bifurcated (Figs. I

2 and 3) to insure amorepositive clamping of the carriage to the bench,and in addition to allow a greater latitude 'in thevertical adjust ment of the accessory rod 25. i

"However, a single arm may eflectively be employed, if desired, asillustrated by the struction shown in out of the optical line of the bench. the pedestal 240 is advantageouslyhin'ged to the carriage at 30. to per mit it to be swung back out of the effective 'optical'lineof the bench. A.

ioo

are similar to The base and the accessory designed for optical beds having a'diiferent bed or rail construction. For example, in

Fig. 5 is illustrated an optical bed, whose...

rails are provided by separate rods 36, in this case octagonal in form, and the clamping arm 37 is made of a length to engage the underface of one; of these rails instead of an auxiliary rail. -T he rail engaging surfaces and the other V-shaped in cross section.

holder castings areshown in the drawings (Fig. 5) of some what different form from those in the preferred form (Fig. 2 and'3), and illustrates "one of the many forms of which this invention is susceptible. In this particular embodiment the arm 37 is of heavier construction and is pivotally mounted in a slot formed in the base. The lower extremity of the arm '37 is provided with a surface complementary to the under face of the rod 36 to insure positive locking engagement therewith.

In all three, designs of clamping device 1t is apparent that when the clamping arms are dropped they not only release the clamping engagement but clear the bed to permit the carriage to be freelyli'fted from. the bed.

In using the apparatus for various optical experiments a number of carriages may be adjusted on they bench.

l ,In the event it isdesired, to remove any given accessory, such as a lens, from the line of a beam of light, it is merely necessary to .tiltback the pedestal holding the supporting rod. Thus, any given optical object may berestored to position. promptly without the necessity of preliminary adjustment.

A locking device may be provided if desired to maintain the accessory holder in the optical line of the bench. This may take the formforexample, of a snap spring 38 secured to the base of the pedestal 240 by a screw and. nut 39, the free end of the spring being adapted to engage the clamping arm pivot in the manner shown in the drawings. Although no such locking device is illustrated in connection with the modified form'of'Fig. 5, one could be employed if desired.

Obviously the invention is not limited to the details of the illustrative apparatus since these may be'variously modified. Moreover,

.it is not indispensable that all features of the invention be used conjointly since various features may advantageously be employed in different combinations and subcomblnations.

those in the preferred form -(Figs. 2 and 3) i. e,,one being a plane surface I claim as my invention:

1. A device of the character described comprising in combination, a longitudinally extending bed, riage longitudinally slidable on said bed, and aclamping armpivotally connected to said carriage for engaging said bed to clamp the carriage thereon, and means for controlling said arm. 7 v H 2. A device of the character described comprising in combination, a bed providing longitudinally extending guiding rails, an apparatus supporting carriage resting on said rails and longitudinally adjustable thereon, a clamping arm pivotally carried by said carriage and engageable with said bed to clamp the carriage in adjusted position, and screw means for actuating said arm. a.

3. A device of the character described comprising in combination a bed having up' standingrail members, a carriage mounted on said members for longitudinal movement thereon,- means for clamping said carriage to said bed including an ai'ixiliary'railsecured to the latter and an arm pivoted tothe carriage 1 and adapted to engage the said auxiliary rail. '4. vA device of the character described comprising in combination a. bed having upstanding. rail members, a carriage. mounted on said members for'l'ongitudinal movement thereon, means for clamping said carriage to said bed including an auxiliary rail secured to the latter and a bifurcated arm pivoted to the carriage and adapted to engage the said auxiliary rail. I

5. A device of the character described com prising in combination, a bed'providing longitudinally extending guiding rails, an apparatus supporting carriage resting on said rails and longitudinally slidable thereon, a l

clamping arm pivotally connected. to said carriage and hanging between said rails, said arm having an angular extensionthereon designed to engage a downwardlyyfacing surface on said bed, and means for moving said arm into engagement with said surface. to clamp said carriage in place.

6. A device of the character described comprising in combination, a bed providing longitudinally extending guiding rails, an appa- 7 ratus supporting carriage having downwardly extending flanges provided with rail engaging surfaces, a clamping arm carried by said carriage and hanging'between said rails, said arm being engageable with said bed, and an actuating screw passing through one of said flanges intoengagement with said arm to force said arm into clamping contact with said bed. v v,

7. An optical bench of the character described comprising .in combination, a bed providing longitudinally extending guiding rails,an apparatus supporting carriage resting on said rails and longitudinal-lyslidable thereon, means for holding saidv carriage in adjusted position along said rails, an apparatus holding device and means for connect-- ing said device to said carriage so that said device and its apparatus may be moved laterally out of the optical line of the bed without disturbing the carria e or disconnecting said holding device there 0m.

8. An optical bench of the character described comprising in combination, a bed 7 ralls, and an apparatus holding device piv oted to said carriage so that said device and its apparatus may be swung out of the optical line of the bed.

9. An apparatus supporting carriage for optical benches and the like comprising in combination a base structure having rail engaging surfaces for slidably engaging the a bench rails, clamping means for holding said carriage in adjusted position on the bench, and an apparatus holding device'hinged to i said base to permit said device and the ap- 'paratu's held thereby to be swung out of the optical line of said bench, V

10. An apparatus supporting carriage for optical benches and the like comprising in combination a base structure having rail engaging surfaces for slidably engaging the bench rails, clamping means for holding said carriage in adjusted position on the bench, an apparatus holding device hinged to said base to permit said device and the apparatus held thereby to be swung out of the optical line of said bench, and means for resiliently securing the said holding device in operative position with relation to the base. 7

11. An apparatus supporting carriage for optical benches and the like comprising in combination a base structure having rail engaging surfaces for slidably engaging the bench rails, clamping means for holding said carriage in adjusted position on the bench, an apparatus holding device mounted on the base, means connecting said device to the base whereby the former may be quickly moved laterally from the optical line of the bench,

and means for limiting the lateral displacement of the holding device.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

MASIOK C. MAGARIAN. 

